So here it is! (My last blog for my media studies class) and I know just what I want to talk about. Yesterday, I was watching TV and a commercial for PlayStation came on. Being the curious one that I am, I decided to find out a little more about this "download,play,connect" tag line they were using.
I discovered a quote by Peter Diller, the Senior VP of Marketing & PlayStation Network for Sony that describes what the advertisement hoped to achieve:
"So with [PS3] tremendous growth and adoption, we thought it was time to give the PlayStation Network its own moment in the sun with a TV spot that sings its praises. This PlayStation Network ad will also make its debut this weekend. The ad is a metaphor and itself depicts the relentless spread of the PlayStation message from user to user. We've featured various ways you can "Download/Play/Connect." (Found on http://www.qj.net/PlayStation-Entertainment-Unleashed-unveils-ad-3-Download-Play-Connect-for-PSN-/pg/49/aid/126510)
This message contributes directly to the concept of what direction is new media taking us in. In other words, how is new media changing the way we live? PlayStation suggests that we can now live in a digital community where we can connect with other people through downloads and playing. Everything that we begin to see, we can transform into a digital image that can be spread from user to user. So when does it get too far? I mean I’m not going to say that there are no benefits of digital technology because personally, I am excited about using Skype or email or blogging when I go to Singapore next semester. Exchanging abroad experiences or even travel experiences is so much easier now that we can put albums on the web. A daughter in California can send pictures to her grandmother in New York. Communication channels have opened. But what concerns me the most about Diller’s comment is that “the ad is a metaphor and itself depicts the relentless spread of the PlayStation message from user to user.” The phrase “relentless spread” has kind of a haunting connotation, doesn’t it? Regardless of how our society thinks about community or old values, new media is relentlessly going to approach and invade our lives. I know this is an extreme, but this situation reminds me of the movie Wall-E in which the people of Earth resort to having automated machines and technology do everything for them. They become so accustomed to not having to walk or interact with other human beings because everything is laid out for them in a screen right in front of their eyes. They also all become overweight and have to learn how to use their legs when they fall off their flying chairs. Obviously this is an extreme, but I think it is a really interesting ironic play on our society. We may eventually become like these people if we do not take responsibility for our actions. In fact, I think that McKibben would really like the movie Wall-E because it is all about reconnecting with nature, taking care of the Earth, and not taking it for granted. We have become so comfortable with letting others or machines do our work for us. PlayStation’s “Download, Play, Connect” campaign replaces our imagination with visual explosions of what PlayStation wants us to see. At what point will we begin to really question new media’s influence and whether or not it is beneficial for our society?
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Friday, December 5, 2008
There's nothing on TV!
I woke up this morning at 6:30. A FRIDAY morning at 6:30…think about it...we’re at Babson College where there are practically no Friday classes. So why in the world would I do such a thing? Especially since I went to bed at 2:00am after celebrating the success of performance one of three of Babson Dance Ensemble’s fall show. (BDE presents We Like to Party! December 4th, 5th, &6th 8pm @ Sorenson). Well, I had to wake up this morning to give a presentation for MCE. UGGGHHH. It was awful. Well actually, the presentation went well, it was just awful to wake up. So of course after the presentation I decided to take a nap. However, when I got back to my room…it not only felt oddly quiet, but the luminescent room light was hurting my eyes. So, being that it was neither dark enough to feel like night time, I turned on the T.V. and tried to drift off with it as background noise/light. Well, I couldn’t fall asleep before finding the right channel to leave it on. And that’s when I realized (well maybe I’ve known it before, but this morning I really was just angry about it) that there is NOTHING on tv at 10:30 in the morning. And by nothing, I guess I mean “nothing to my liking.” Which reminded me of the presentation “Sleaze TV” that was discussed in my media and culture class. This presentation discussed the different types of TV content that is out there, dividing it into high and low cultured. One of their major points was that content is chosen to cater towards income stereotypes and how low-culture TV like Jerry Springer provides entertainment that is not intelligent. Well, I couldn’t help but feel that this was true.
So while I was browsing and getting sick of there being nothing on TV, I asked myself, why do I even want this on? Why can’t I turn it off? Why do I need the television to be on to fall asleep? And while I kept responding to myself saying, “I don’t need this on, just turn it off Jes, there’s nothing interesting to watch” I kept the tv on. I just turned it to a channel that I thought might have an interesting show on when I woke up (MTV). Well, while I was trying to drift off, Parental Control came on and I got sucked into watching it. You see, I’ve been trying to figure out why people watch these “reality shows” when it’s obvious that the lines are scripted and the “real people” are acting. Specifically for this show, I couldn’t understand how if someone was actually in a “deep and meaningful” relationship with another person they could potentially break up with that person over television. No talking it out, no compromise, just an ultimatum. What does this type of show reflect about the way relationships have evolved over the years? This course has opened my eyes to the way media saturation has seeped into our culture by teaching us values that deter from traditional ways. While progress/moving forward is not necessarily a bad thing, at some point, we need to stop and think, well wait, is this really progress? Microeconomics has taught me that for an efficiency curve, at some point, no more economies of scale can be achieved and production levels become inefficient. I think this concept can definitely be applied to technology and the media saturation world we live in today. In addition, my organizational behavior class taught me about running businesses with an ethical standpoint. The concept of utilitarianism (which pretty much asks if the ends justify the means) seems to be an important theory that many conglomerates/corporations may not have in mind. Will gaining as much profit as possible justify the (harmful) cultural influences that advertising/tv shows/the media torrent has on society? I really do not see the justification unless the companies are giving back to society in some way (which I don’t think they are).
So while I was browsing and getting sick of there being nothing on TV, I asked myself, why do I even want this on? Why can’t I turn it off? Why do I need the television to be on to fall asleep? And while I kept responding to myself saying, “I don’t need this on, just turn it off Jes, there’s nothing interesting to watch” I kept the tv on. I just turned it to a channel that I thought might have an interesting show on when I woke up (MTV). Well, while I was trying to drift off, Parental Control came on and I got sucked into watching it. You see, I’ve been trying to figure out why people watch these “reality shows” when it’s obvious that the lines are scripted and the “real people” are acting. Specifically for this show, I couldn’t understand how if someone was actually in a “deep and meaningful” relationship with another person they could potentially break up with that person over television. No talking it out, no compromise, just an ultimatum. What does this type of show reflect about the way relationships have evolved over the years? This course has opened my eyes to the way media saturation has seeped into our culture by teaching us values that deter from traditional ways. While progress/moving forward is not necessarily a bad thing, at some point, we need to stop and think, well wait, is this really progress? Microeconomics has taught me that for an efficiency curve, at some point, no more economies of scale can be achieved and production levels become inefficient. I think this concept can definitely be applied to technology and the media saturation world we live in today. In addition, my organizational behavior class taught me about running businesses with an ethical standpoint. The concept of utilitarianism (which pretty much asks if the ends justify the means) seems to be an important theory that many conglomerates/corporations may not have in mind. Will gaining as much profit as possible justify the (harmful) cultural influences that advertising/tv shows/the media torrent has on society? I really do not see the justification unless the companies are giving back to society in some way (which I don’t think they are).
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